Vulgar Vogler
by HollyJandHuddyfan
Summary: House loses his job because of Voglar. Cuddy's deaf 16-year-old daughter attempts to reason with Vogler in order to get House his job back when Vogler offers her a deal. Will she make a deal with the devil in order to get House his job back? Read in order to find out!
1. Chapter 1

"House may be an ass but he is still the best God damn doctor in this hospital!" Lisa Cuddy said with as much venom as she could muster. Edward Vogler, who was looming overhead, was not intimidated by her in the least.

"Then find another doctor" he snapped as he slammed his hand down onto her fist. Cuddy's eyes narrowed and her upper lip curled in true disdain.

"I'm not going to find another doctor just because…"

"Just because what?" Vogler sneered. "Just because I decided to donate $100 million to your hospital? Tell me, Dr. Cuddy, is Dr. House really worth $100 million to you? Because, if he is, let me know and I'll withdraw my offer immediately." Cuddy remained silent. "Tell you what" Vogler added. "I'll give you 24 hours to think things over. Here's where you can reach me once you've made your decision" Vogler said, handing Cuddy his card. "I hope you make the right decision" he said, before leaving Cuddy in a stunned silence…

Stephanie Cuddy could immediately tell her mom was in a fowl mood the second she walked through the door. "_Hey, mom_!" Stephanie signed.

"Hi," Cuddy said, or at least that's what Stephanie got from reading her lips. Stephanie noticed that her mom's posture was slouched, which it only was when something was really bothering her. Stephanie got up and grabbed Cuddy's arm. Cuddy looked over at her.

"_I got my report card_" Stephanie told her. "_I got straight A's again_!" Cuddy didn't even acknowledge that Stephanie had signed anything. "_Mom? Did you see what I just signed?_" Stephanie said, getting up and walking over to her mom.

"Yeah. That's great" she said before turning to look at Stephanie. "_Did you eat_?" Stephanie shook her head. Cuddy took a twenty from her purse and handed it to Stephanie. "Why don't you order some take out?" Cuddy said, walking down the hall, towards her room.

"_But mom the TTY isn't working and…_" Stephanie gave up when she saw that Cuddy had gone into her room and shut the door without having looked back once. Stephanie didn't know what was going on, but she knew it was bad since she never remembered seeing her mom this upset about something.

After Stephanie had made herself a sandwich, she walked past her mom's room and noticed that the light was out. This worried Stephanie greatly as it was only 7:30pm and Cuddy never went to bed until 9pm, at the earliest. Unsure of what else to do, Stephanie went into her room and txted the one person whom she thought might be able to shed some light onto what was going on; Allison Cameron…

Stephanie had been at Princeton Plainsboro a lot for the past few years. She had been experiencing severe dizzy spells and a slow but steady decline in her hearing. Dr. House had been assigned to her case, but Cameron was the one that spent the most time with Stephanie. In fact, she was the one who taught Stephanie how to sign and told Cuddy about a free adult ed course that was offered at the local community center. Over time, Stephanie and Cameron had developed a friendship.

After months of extensive testing it was determined that she had severe Meniere's Disease and had permanently lost 80% of the hearing in her right ear and 60% in her left. Hearing Aids helped somewhat, but it was still very difficult for Stephanie to understand speech. Stephanie remembered hugging Cameron and crying on her shoulder when she found out about her diagnosis and Cameron didn't judge her or think that she was weak. If anything, Cameron had turned into a big sister sort of figure and was very protective and supportive of Stephanie. Even House quickly realized that he could only go so far with his teasing before having to face the wrath of Allison Cameron, which he had never knew existed…

STEPH: Hey Cameron.

CAMERON: Oh, hi! What's going on?

STEPH: Do you know if there is anything weird going on at the hospital? Because my mom came home in a really crappy mood tonight. She barely said two words to me and now she's locked herself in her room. She's usually not like this and I just want to make sure that she's okay.

It was a couple of minutes before Stephanie received a response.

CAMERON: I know there's been a lot tension at the hospital regarding House and a potential donor. This donor keeps trying to get rid of House, which your mom doesn't want to do, but he's donating a very large sum of money" Cameoron explained. "Your mom is in a tough spot right now, but I'm sure she'll be fine. Just give her time."

STEPH: Ok! I just wish there was something I could do to help. L

CAMERON: There is. Stay out of trouble. Keep doing well in school and don't argue with your mom about anything. If she tells you to do something, do it, even if you don't want to. Got it?

"STEPH: I guess. But I still feel so helpless. Like I'm just being lazy and inconsiderate by sitting around and doing nothing when I know she's in a lot of pain.

CAMERON: You're not doing nothing! Your mom is really lucky to have a daughter who cares enough to check up on her. Believe me, no matter how bad your mom's day is, you always manage to brighten things up! J

STEPH: Thanks!

CAMERON: Do you need me to come over?

STEPH: No, I'll be fine. Thanks for talking with me, though.

CAMERON: Anytime! :D You have a goodnight, Steph. And call me if you need anything, ok?"

STEPH: Ok, bye!

CAMERON: Bye!

After putting her phone away, Stephanie laid down on her bed and began to mentally go over everything that happened before dozing off to sleep…

Stephanie was sitting on the couch watching TV when Cuddy came home in tears. "_Mom! What's wrong?" _

"_Nothing that you need to worry about_." Cuddy rushed up the stairs and turned towards her room. Stephanie grabbed Cuddy by the arm, demanding her attention. There was no way in hell she was going through this two nights in a row.

"_Does it have to do with that donor guy not wanting House at the hospital?"_ Cuddy's jaw dropped open.

"_How'd you know about that?" _she asked once she had recovered from her initial shock.

"_Cameron told me_" Stephanie explained. Cuddy sighed in frustration. She would deal with Cameron later, but right now she wanted nothing more than to be left alone.

"_It's nothing, really_" Cuddy told her as she started to walk away.

"_It's not nothing if you're crying about it!_" Stephanie's hands were moving in rapid succession, matching her internal frustration.

"_I already told you that this has nothing to do with you!_" Cuddy angrily told her, causing Stephanie to take a step back. "_So just stay out of it and mind your own business!_"

"_Fine! I will!_" Stephanie said, turning away so Cuddy couldn't see her tears. She went into the living room and turned the TV back on.

A few minutes later, after Cuddy had calmed down, she went back into the hallway and saw her daughter curled up in a ball on the couch just staring emptily into space. Cuddy turned off the TV, walked over and sat down on the other end of the couch.

"_Hey_," Cuddy tentatively greeted her. "_I'm so sorry about before, sweetie! I didn't mean to snap at you like that!_" Stephanie looked up this time but didn't respond. "_I'm just so upset that I had to fire my best doctor today for the sake of office politics. Regardless, I still had no right to take my anger out on you._" Stephanie nodded. "_Just out of curiosity, though, how did all of this come up when talking to Cameron last night?_" Stephanie sat up and looked Cuddy straight in the eye.

"_I was worried about you because you seemed really upset when you came home last night. So I texted Cameron in order to see if something happened at work that I could help you out with. She told me that I would be helping by just giving you time to deal with everything on your own and she also told me stay out of trouble. Doesn't seem like that would be all that helpful, does it?_" Stephanie let out a chuckle.

"_No, Cameron's right. That is a huge help! But, just so you know, I'm fine. There's no need to worry about me."_

_ "So House really got fired_?"

"_Laid-off_" Cuddy corrected. "_He's still getting severance pay and full-benefits for six months._"

"_You know what I meant_" Stephanie chided.

"_Yes, I do_" Cuddy responded. "_So, I never got to congratulate you on your fantastic report card_".


	2. Chapter 2

Cuddy was staying over-night for a medical conference at NYU, meaning that Stephanie had the house to herself. While she was working on her Trig homework, the phone rang and Stephanie saw the flashing lights. She glanced at the caller ID and saw that it was House calling. Stephanie turned on the TTY and began to type.

"Hello?"

"Hi. It's House. Put your mom on, kid".

"She's in New York" Stephanie told House.

"So you're home all alone?" he clarified.

"Yep. Why do you need something?" Stephanie asked with an innate curiousity. "Because I can take a message and pass it on to her later."

"No, actually. I was actually hoping to talk to you about something"

"Then why'd you ask for my mom?" Stephanie questioned.

"Just planning on going through the formalities, so your mom can't say that I went about this the wrong way."

"What do you mean the wrong way? What are you talking about?"

"You heard about what happened with me at the hospital, right?"

"Yeah," Stephanie answered skeptically.

"Well, there is a way that I can get my job back" House tentatively told her. Stephanie began to get really nervous. She couldn't imagine why he would be telling her this and not Cuddy. She knew something didn't seem right, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"What is it?"

"I don't understand this, but maybe you will. For some reason, Vogler wants to talk to you about something alone and in person. He says that if you agree to this, I'll get my job back."

"I don't know. Something just doesn't feel right about this" Stephanie confessed.

"Look, I rarely do this, but I am asking for help. Your help" House pleaded. "I will never be hired as a Pharmacy Technician, let alone a doctor in any office or hospital because of my crappy track-record. If I don't get my job back, than my life is gonna go down the gutters and it's gonna go down damn fast!" Stephanie bit her lip. On the one hand, she felt bad for House but, on the other hand, this whole feeling made her feel very uneasy.

"I'll call my mom and see what she thinks. Then I'll get back to you" Stephanie promised.

"No!" House quickly responded. "One of the conditions of this agreement is that your mom can never find out. If you agree, Vogler is going to say something along the lines of how he was talking with some associates and, despite my downfalls, he realized just what an excellent asset to the hospital I am. Also, how I would actually earn the hospital more money and improve its image. Then, because of that, he will say that he decided it would be best to push his personal feelings aside and agreed to hire me back."

"What does he want to talk to me about?"

"I don't know" House told her.

"I hate keeping secrets from my mom" Stephanie paused before continuing, "but if it'll help you get your job back, I'll talk with him."

"Great. I'll give him your address and he'll be there within an hour."

"Wait! Wait! I thought he was just going to call" Stephanie said.

"Yeah, he doesn't have TTY on his end, so no talking."

"But he doesn't need…" Stephanie had started to type when House interrupted.

"Ok, bye!" Stephanie had received a notification that the phone call had ended and hung up and phone . Stephanie bit her lip as she wondered what it was that Vogler wanted with her.

Roughly an hour later, the lights started flickering which signaled that someone had rung the doorbell. Stephanie peeked out the window and saw a man standing there. She assumed that this must be Vogler, so she opened the door. "Are you Mr. Vogler?" Stephanie said.

"Am I vocal?" the man asked confused. Stephanie chuckled and shook her head.

"No. Mr. Vogler" she said slowly, being sure to annunciate each syllable. "You him?" The man smiled and nodded. "Come in!" she said, stepping aside. Vogler walked up the stairs and into the living room while Stephanie locked the door behind her. Once she arrived in the living room she sat down across the room from Vogler. "So, what do I need to do for House to get his job back?"

"You're just like your mom" Vogler commented. "Always wanting to get straight down to business."

" I'm sorry, but can you talk a little slower, please? I'm not very good at lip reading yet."

"Never mind" Vogler said. "Anyway, sit down" he said patting the space on the couch next to him. Stephanie didn't feel comfortable sitting next to him, but put aside her discomfort for House's best interest. Once Stephanie was sitting, Vogler began to talk again. "So, my proposition is quite simple really" Vogler told Stephanie in a slow voice. "It doesn't involve money or any special skills, what-so-ever. Just a few minutes of your time."

"Do you need me to vouch for House at a Board Meeting?" Vogler shook his head. "Or you?" He inched closer to Stephanie, who began tensing up.

"Relax, Stephanie" he said putting his hand on her thigh.

"What are you doing?" Stephanie screamed as she pulled back.

"Just close your eyes and let me do all the work" Vogler snidely said.

"No!" Stephanie shrieked as she jumped off the couch and backed away from Vogler. "I'm not doing that! Get out!"

"Listen, either we do this, or I make sure House gets fired with no severance." Stephanie gave a bewildered expression. "You. Don't. Listen. House. Poof. Gone. Forever."

"You can't do that! My mom would never let that happen. You're breaking the law!"

"If you tell mommy, I will get her fired too" he said in a really slow and menacing voice. "Last chance!" Stephanie bit her lip before shaking her head, tears coming from her eyes. "You…need…you need to go!" Stephanie said, while staring at the floor. Vogler shook her by her arm, causing Stephanie to snap her head up.

"You'll be sorry. I'll make sure of that" he said as he walked down the stairs and out the door. Stephanie ran into her room, dove under her covers and began to cry. She felt scared, ashamed and guilty about everything. If she hadn't been so selfish and just said yes, than House would have a job. It was her fault that he was going to be fired. He was going to hate her. After a few minutes of cathartic sobbing, Stephanie picked up her cellphone and texted Cameron.

STEPHANIE: Are you busy?

About a minute later, she felt her phone vibrate.

CAMERON: No, why? What's up?

STEPHANIE: Can you come over? I don't want to be alone right now.

CAMERON: Is everything ok?

STEPHANIE: Can you please just come? I'll tell you everything when you get here.

CAMERON: Of course! I'm on my way.

Cameron, true to her word, was at the door ten minutes later. Stephanie peeked out the window and breathed a sigh of relief once she saw who it was. She opened the door and let Cameron in. Once the door was locked, Stephanie broke down in the middle of the hallway.

"_What's wrong?_" Cameron signed.

"_I am a horrible person!_"

"_Why do you think that?_"

"_I got House fired" _Stephanie said as she sat down on the floor and leaned against the wall. Cameron took a seat next to her.

"_You didn't, Steph! Vogler did._"

"_Vogler wouldn't be firing him if I had just done what he wanted_." Cameron tilted her head and looked at Stephanie with pure bewilderment.

"_What are you talking about_?"

"_He came over before and told me that he would let House keep his job if I did a favor for him, a sexual favor, and I said no. Then he…"_

_"Wait! "_Cameron interrupted, flailing her arms like crazy. _"He tried to have sex with you?"_ Stephanie nodded.

"_And because I said no, House is going to lose his job!"_

_"I'm calling your mom!_" Cameron told her. Stephanie's eyes widened as she began to shake her head.

"_No. Don't! He'll fire her too if she finds out. He told me that!"_ Cameron put her hand on Stephanie's shoulder.

"_He was just saying that to scare you. I promise I will do whatever it takes to make sure your mom keeps her job"_ Cameron promised.

"_What about House?"_

"_I'll see what I can do to help him out too"_ Cameron assured her.

"_Thank you! For everything!"_ Cameron smiled as she pulled Stephanie into a tight embrace.

_"Anytime"_ Cameron signed, once they had pulled apart.


	3. Chapter 3

Cameron made Stephanie a cup of tea with honey and then proceeded to call Cuddy. The phone rang three times before Cuddy picked up. "Hello?"

"Hi, Lisa. It's me, Allison."

"Wait, Allison? What are you doing over at my house? Is Stephanie ok?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about" Cameron said in a nervous tone.

"Oh my God! What happened?" Cuddy asked as scenario after scenario ran through her mind, each one worse than the last.

"I got a txt from Stephanie asking me to come over. When I got here…" Cameron began telling Cuddy everything.

"Is she ok?" Cuddy immediately asked once Cameron had finished. "Did he hurt her?"

"Physically she's fine. Mentally…well, she's a bit shaken up, which is understandable. Um, I don't want to impose or anything, but if it's ok with you, I think I should stay the night in case she needs anything. I'll sleep on the couch."

"Don't worry about doing that. I'm coming home right now. I should be there in a little over three hours. Can you just stay with her until I get there?" Cameron could hear rummaging in the background which she assumed was Cuddy quickly packing everything up.

"What about your conference tomorrow? I can watch her until…"

"Forget about the conference!" Cuddy interjected. "My daughter's well-being is at stake. I'll deal with the logistics of canceling this trip later."

"Ok," Cameron responded. She knew she wasn't going to get anywhere when Cuddy was in this state of mind and, frankly, Cameron didn't blame her. "I'll wait with her until you get here."

"Thank you so much for this, Allison!"

"Anytime."

"I'll call when I'm close" Cuddy said before hanging up…

Stephanie awoke the following morning to the feeling of someone shaking her. Her eyes snapped open and she slowly sat up and rubbed her fatigued eyes. Once everything came into focus, Stephanie saw her mom standing by her bedside.

"_Get up and get dressed_!" Cuddy signed before throwing a pile of clothes towards her.

"_What's going on? Where are we going?"_

"_The police station_. _I set up an appointment to talk with a detective at 8am. Now get moving_" Cuddy told her before walking out of her room and shutting the door behind her.

While Stephanie was getting ready, Cuddy phoned House, but it went straight to voicemail. "House!" she shrieked. "I don't know what the hell you were thinking last night, but rest assured that you will NOT be getting your job back you son-of-a-bitch!" She hung up and slammed the phone down. She then dialed Wilson.

"Hello," Wilson answered after the second ring.

"Hello, James, it's Lisa. Do you have any idea where House is?"

"Yeah, he's sleeping on my couch now, why?"

"Was he there last night?"

"Yeah, I didn't trust him being by himself after losing his job, so I told your secretary that I was taking the rest of the day off and brought him home with me." Cuddy checked her cell phone and saw a txt message from her secretary stating that Wilson had indeed taken the rest of the day off. If House was at Wilson's, then who had called from House's home phone? "Is everything ok, Lisa?" Wilson asked, pulling Cuddy out of her revere of thoughts.

"I have to go. I'll call you back" Cuddy quickly said. She hung up before Wilson had a chance to respond…

"_Have you told dad about this?_" Stephanie signed once she and Cuddy were at the Police Station. Cuddy sighed.

"_You know your dad hasn't contacted us since…"_

_ "Since I went deaf?"_ Stephanie interrupted. Cuddy shook her head no. "_Well it's an awful big coincidence that he left us the moment I went deaf and has never contacted us since."_ Cuddy said nothing. "_Tell me the truth! That's the reason he left, isn't it?"_

"_Let's not talk about this here" _Cuddy quickly signed.

_"I know what that means. It means I'm right, but you don't want to say it to my face. Fine!_" Stephanie turned her head and stared at the floor. Cuddy knew that Stephanie was right, but she didn't want to make the girl feel any worse than she already did by making her feel at fault for her father's abandonment. Lucas Douglas was a selfish bastard and Cuddy didn't want Stephanie to have to pay for his actions.


	4. Chapter 4

"Thank you for coming in so early" the detective said once they were all seated at a table in the interrogation room.

"It's no problem" Cuddy responded.

"Does she need an interpreter?" the detective asked her. Cuddy turned to Stephanie and began to sign.

"_Do you want him to bring in an interpreter for the interview_?" Stephanie shook her head no. "She doesn't want one" Cuddy told the detective.

"Ok," the detective responded. "It says here that Stephanie received a phone call from a Dr. House one hour before Edward Vogler came to your home?"

"I'm not entirely sure it was House" Cuddy responded. "See, I just called his best friend this morning who said that he spent yesterday afternoon and all of last night at his place. He wasn't at home when the phone call was made. And, since Stephanie's deaf, she wouldn't be able to hear if it was a different voice on the other end."

"Thank you for providing us with that information, Dr. Cuddy. However, since his name was mentioned in the transcript, he is still a suspect and…"

"Can you guys slow down? I can't read your lips when you're talking that fast" Stephanie interjected.

"I think I'm going to get that interpreter" the detective said as he got up and walked out of the room.

"_What happened? Where's he going?_" Stephanie signed.

"_He's going to bring in an interpreter for you_" Cuddy explained.

"_But I don't need one. If you guys talk slower I'll be able to understand what you guys are saying. Plus just because I'm deaf doesn't mean that I can't hear some sounds with my hearing aids. Doesn't he get that?_"

"_I know_" Cuddy signed. "_But people who have never been exposed to deaf culture typically don't understand. I know you don't like it, but it would make things a lot easier if you just went along with what the detective wants._"

"_So you think I'm a burden? That me being deaf makes things harder for you?_"

"_No, I…_" Cuddy started to say when she heard the door open. "_They're here. Be nice to them_" she quickly signed. Stephanie rolled her eyes but nodded her head.

"_Hi, Stephanie. I'm Detective Judd and this is Detective Ross_" the interpreter signed. _"Nice to meet you!_"

"_Thanks. You too!_" Stephanie responded.

"So let's get started, shall we" Detective Ross said as Detective Judd interpreted to Stephanie…

Stephanie and Cuddy had just walked out of the building when a wave of vertigo came over her. She desperately tried to maintain control and keep her game face on, so as to not worry her mom. The parking lot looked distorted and she felt as if she was on a boat being rocked about. As Stephanie took a step, she misjudged the location of the asphalt and fell face forward onto it. Cuddy heard the crash and immediately rushed over to aid Stephanie. Stephanie sat up and looked up at Cuddy.

"_You're having a vertigo attack, aren't you?_" Cuddy asked her.

"_No. I'm fine. I just tripped is all._"

"_You're lying. I can see your eyes quivering. Stand up and I'll help you over to the car." _Stephanie sighed as she stood up and grabbed a hold of her mom's hand. They slowly walked in tandum until they reached the car. Stephanie sat in the passenger seat, bent forward and placed her face in her hands. She felt a tap on her shoulder and slowly looked up.

"_Buckle up! We're leaving now_" Cuddy told her. So Stephanie obliged and they were on their way. When they got home, Stephanie went straight to bed and Cuddy saw a flashing light on the answering machine. She listened to the message.

**Cuddy, it's House. Wilson said that you were looking for me. Don't know why after hearing that nasty voicemail you sent me. Are you deliberately trying to confuse me Cuddy? First I go home to find my apartment broken into and now this! Don't bother calling me back. Just wanted to return the favor of bitching on your answering machine. So there!**

Cuddy sighed. So it wasn't him who called and yet she had jumped to conclusions and blamed him. She began mentally kicking herself for that. Of course, House didn't have to be such an immature jerk about it and throw a temper tantrum on her answering machine. After all, she had every right to think it was him since the call came from his apartment. On the other hand, House didn't know what had transpired the night before. Cuddy sat down at the kitchen table and unconsciously began biting her thumbnail while she tried to figure out whether or not she should call House back. Untimely, she decided that he at least deserved an explanation and what he chose to do with this information was entirely up to him. At least she would be able to say that she tried and wash her hands of any residual guilt. She got her phone and dialed House's cell.

**You've reached the cellphone of Dr. House. Unless you're dying or a hot babe willing to give it away for free, don't bother leaving a message because…well frankly I don't give a shit what you want. So Goodbye! BEEP! **

Cuddy rolled her eyes at this. Typical House.

**Hi, House. This is Cuddy. I know you don't want me calling you back, but just give me a chance to explain why I left that nasty voicemail this morning and, if you still don't want to hear from me, I will respect your wishes. I heard your apartment was broken into and I have a feeling I know it was behind it all…**

Cuddy went on to explain what Vogler did to Stephanie and why she thought he was the mastermind behind ite heard your apartment was broken into and I have a feeling I know it was be all.

**I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions and automatically assuming it was you. You didn't deserve that. I hope you decide to call me back but, if you don't, I'll respect that. **

Cuddy hung up and crossed her fingers, hoping he would decide to call her back.


	5. Chapter 5

Right after Cuddy left the voicemail for House, she immediately called up Cameron who picked up after the 2nd ring.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Allison. It's Lisa. I know it's your day off, and normally I wouldn't ask this, but can you come over now and watch Stephanie for me?"

"Yeah, sure!" Cameron responded. "How's she doing?"

"She had a vertigo attack in the parking lot of the police station and fell."

"Oh my God! Is she ok?"

"Yeah, she's fine" Cuddy assured her. "In fact she's in bed right now."

"Do you think the Meniere's is active again?"

"God I hope not!" Cuddy muttered. "She's been taking all her Meds and hasn't had an episode in over a year."

"The medication can only do so much, and the Meniere's can return at any time, even years after the last episode" Cameron reminded Cuddy.

"I know. I'm just worried about her. Do you think the stress of what Vogler did to her brought the attack on?"

"Could be" Cameron responded. "Has she been following her diet?"

"When I'm home she is. I'm not sure about when she's on her own, though. Listen, I'm sorry, but I really have to go get ready for my meeting. I'll wait until you get here."

"Of course," Cameron said. "I'll be there in 10!"

"Ok, bye," Cuddy said, hanging up. Cuddy went and changed into her business suit, quickly fixed her hair and got everything she needed together. About two minutes after finishing up, she heard the doorbell. "Come in! It's open!" Cuddy shouted. A few seconds later the door opened.

"Lisa?" Cameron called out.

"In the living room" Cuddy called back. Cameron walked in and sat down on the couch next to her.

"Hey!"

"Hi" Cuddy responded. "Thanks so much for coming on such short notice."

"It's no problem!"

"Just be sure Stephanie takes her Meds with lunch and call me if anything happens" Cuddy said as she got up from the couch, grabbing her purse and laptop bag.

"Will do! Best of luck at your meeting!"

"Thank you" Cuddy said before rushing out the door...

Stephanie woke up and slowly sat up as she came to her senses. Everything around her was spinning and, although she couldn't hear real well, there was a high pitched sound in both of her ears. Stephanie lay back down and waited for the vertigo to pass. A few minutes later, it died down, and she got up and walked into the kitchen. Cameron, who was seated at the table with a cup of coffee, looked up when Stephanie walked in.

"_Hey! What are you doing here?_" Stephanie signed.

"_You're mom had a meeting and asked if I could watch you until it was over_" Cameron responded. _"How are you feeling?_" Stephanie shrugged her shoulders.

"_I'm kind of dizzy, and I've got that annoying sound in my ears_" Stephanie responded. "_But I'm a little better than before._"

"_Do you want something to eat_?" Stephanie shook her head. _"What do you want to do now?_"

"_I guess I'll just watch some TV until the dizziness passes_" Stephanie responded.

"_You know that's one of the worst things to do while having vertigo_" Cameron reminded her.

"_Well I don't just feel like lying in bed all day either_" Stephanie complained.

_"Why don't we sit outside? It's really nice out, and we can talk some._" Stephanie nodded.

"_Sure! Sounds good._"…

Cuddy was walking towards her office when House came rushing over to her. "What the hell, Cuddy? Are you purposely trying to confuse me?"

"What are you talking about, House?" Cuddy asked, now confused, as well.

"First you leave me a nasty voicemail, and then you leave an apologetic one only two hours later. I can only conclude one thing, which is that you've totally lost it." Cuddy noticed that several people stopped what they were doing and instead were watching the sideshow that was currently going on in the clinic waiting room.

"House, my office. Now!" Cuddy sternly told him, just above a whisper.

"But mom…"

"I said now" Cuddy responded, slightly louder this time.

"Fine," House moaned as he followed Cuddy into her office.

"I have a meeting in 15 minutes," Cuddy said, sitting down at her desk. "So I'll make this quick. While I was away at my conference yesterday, Stephanie received a strange phone call from your home number. As you know, she can't hear well so…" Cuddy went on to explain what had happened.

"So you think Vogler broke into my apartment and called Stephanie pretending he was me, so it seemed like I was the one who set this thing up?"

"I'm afraid so" Cuddy responded despondently.

"There are two gaping holes in your theory, Cuddy," House told her. "One, how the hell did he break into my apartment? I always lock my door and don't keep any spare keys lying around. Second, how would Vogler know that Stephanie's deaf?"

"I'll answer your second question first. Stephanie's Meniere's came up during a meeting I had with him. He was going over past hospital records and wanted to know why she had all of these tests done here and was admitted a couple of times." Cuddy explained.

"Why would that matter?" House asked. Cuddy looked down at the ground and took a deep breath before returning her gaze to House and continuing.

"Her medical expenses totaled to over $50,000, and insurance was only going to cover a portion of the cost, so I wrote it off as a hospital expense. Vogler brought it up because he wanted to know where exactly every cent of his money would be going after he gave us his donation."

"You were too cheap to pay for your own daughter's medical expenses? That's a new low even for you, Cuddy. Tsk! Tsk!" House shook his head.

"Oh and the hookers you hired using the hospital's money was a legitimate expense?" Cuddy argued.

"Sex releases endorphins and endorphins relieve pain. Thus, by using their services, I didn't need as much Vicodin." House responded with a smug look on his face.

"Nice try. Now back to the original discussion, I'll answer your first question; how Vogler managed to break into your apartment. There are several theories here" Cuddy explained. "He could have easily rummaged through your stuff or paid someone to get your key, then made a copy of it and returned it before you even knew it was missing. Also, he could be highly experienced with breaking into places, as are you when you search patients' homes without their permission. Lastly, he could have paid someone else to do it. And this is just off the top of my head, House." He sat there, pondering what Cuddy had said for a moment.

"I'm going to kill that son-of-a-bitch!" House sneered, turning around and leaving Cuddy's office.


	6. Chapter 6

Cuddy arrived home from her meeting at around 2pm and walked inside the house, looking for Stephanie and Cameron. "Allison, I'm home" Cuddy called out. "Where are you guys?" Cuddy walked through the house as she searched room by room for them. After searching the whole house, Cuddy grew panicked. She was looking out the back window in the kitchen in order to see if they were in the backyard, when she heard the front door swing open. Cuddy immediately rushed to her foyer and saw Cameron and Stephanie walking in. Stephanie had a shamrock painted on each cheek and was sharing a pink cotton-candy with Cameron.

"Where the hell were you guys?" Cuddy shouted as she furiously walked towards them.

"The carnival is in town, so Stephanie and I walked there and played some games and got snacks, and she got her face painted as you can see" Cameron explained.

"You left the house with her without checking with me first?" Cuddy angrily asked. "Or without even leaving a simple note? What the hell were you thinking, Allison?"

"I was thinking that Stephanie was tired of being cooped up all day and wanted to go out and do something fun for a change" Cameron explained. Ever since she's been diagnosed, you've had her on a extremely short leash and rarely let her go out and have fun anymore."

"I just want what's best for her" Cuddy retorted, "and that doesn't involve running around town with her like…"

"Like what, Lisa? I took Stephanie to the Carnival, not some wild frat party" Cameron argued. "Yes you need to monitor her condition, but she needs to go out and have fun. Especially after last night, I thought you'd be grateful that I was able to get her mind off of it for a couple of hours."

"Last time I checked, Stephanie is my daughter and not yours, and I think I am doing a damn good job raising her. So before you start dishing out parenting advice to me, why don't you…" Cuddy was interrupted by Stephanie clapping her hands. Both Cuddy and Cameron turned to look at her.

"_Will you two stop fighting and talking about me as if I'm not even here_?"

"_I'm so sorry. We both were just so caught up in the moment that neither of us was thinking straight_" Cameron told her.

"Oh, so now you have to swoop in and be her savior" Cuddy sneered.

"_And you have to be the martyr_" Cameron signed as she spoke angrily to Cuddy.

"_Mom. Please don't be mad at Ally. I'm happy that she took me to the Carnival. It's the most fun I've had in months!_" Cuddy sighed.

"_It's not so much that she took you that upsets me, but the fact that she never told me that she was taking you. What if something happened? I wouldn't have even known. Hell, I wouldn't know where to start looking for you once I realized that you were missing_" Cuddy explained. "_Look, I'm glad that you had fun, but you have to understand that Allison was wrong here, and that's why I'm upset._"

"_Okay, she made a mistake. Next time she'll let you know before taking me out. Not to mention that I'm going to have graduated in two years and will be going away for college. So it's time that I start going out more and becoming more independent."_

"_We've been over this!_" Cuddy angrily signed. "_How can you handle going to college when you can't even hear? What happens if you're sleeping in your dorm room and the fire alarm goes off? Or what if…?_"

"_I'm not stupid, mom! I'll find a way to manage. But don't deny me the opportunity just because I'm deaf. At least let my try!_"

"_No! You're going to community college where there are smaller classes and you can come home every night, and that's that!_"

"_I hate you!_" Stephanie said, with tears in her eyes. "_You're acting like I'm some kind of invalid just because I've lost one sense. Tell me, if I lost my sense of smell or taste, would you be acting like this? No! You wouldn't be. So, why are you depriving me of having fun and getting the most out of my life just because the one sense I happened to lose is my hearing?_" Stephanie angrily pushed her way past Cuddy and ran into her room, slamming the door behind her.

"I can't believe you just said that!" Cameron angrily shouted at Cuddy. "You're not even going to let the girl try? You are totally underestimating what she is capable of!"

"She can't handle being on her own yet!" Cuddy argued.

"And she doesn't have to be for another two years. You can't do everything for her, Lisa. I mean, when she's ready to get a job, are you going to be going to her job interviews for her?"

"She always has a job at the hospital. She knows that."

"I don't believe this!" Cameron said, shaking her head. "And what if she doesn't want to work in a hospital setting? Have you actually taken the time to look at things from her point of view? I doubt it."

"Don't you dare talk to me that way in MY house!" Cuddy screamed.

"Fine! Forget it! If it weren't for Stephanie, I'd walk out right now." Cameron began to walk up the stairs.

"Where do you think you're going?" Cuddy spat at her, with her eyes narrowed and her hand on her hip.

"To see how Stephanie is doing because she shouldn't have to suffer just because we're having a disagreement." Cameron walked over to Stephanie's room and opened the door a crack before peeking in. Since Cameron didn't see her right away, she opened the door some more and walked in. Stephanie was nowhere to be found. Cameron frantically looked in Stephanie's closet and under her bed to see if Stephanie was hiding there. Then her eyes fell to an open window. "Oh crap!" Cameron muttered to herself…

House was sitting on his couch watching Wipeout when he heard someone knocking at his door. He groaned as he slowly got up and grabbed his cane. The knocking became more insistent. "Hold your damn horses. I'm coming!" Still the person continued to knock. "You better have a damn good excuse for being here," House said as he opened the door. Then his eyes fell on Stephanie. Of course! Now the incessant knocking made sense. She couldn't hear him say that he was coming. "What's up kid?"

"Can I come in?" Stephanie orated. House nodded his head and stepped aside. "Thanks," Stephanie said, walking in.

"So what are you doing here?" House asked with his back to her.

"I can't read your lips with you facing the other way."

"Right!" House said, turning around. It was going to take some time to get used to dealing with a deaf kid. "Why are you here?"

"Cuddy and Ally got into a fight. The thing is I usually go to Ally when I have a problem. But I can't, obviously. So you're the only one I could think of seeing."

"Glad to know I'm last on that list of yours," House said sarcastically.

"No! No! I didn't mean it like that" Stephanie quickly said. "You're great! It's just that Ally knows how to sign and…"

"It's okay, kid. I get it! So what exactly were they fighting about?"

"Ally took me to the Carnival while my mom was at work, and my mom got home right before we did. She was angry that Ally didn't let her know before taking me out" Stephanie explained. "I told my to go easy on Ally and that Ally did the right thing because she was allowing me to go out and become more independent. Then I mentioned that I'd need to be more independent if I wanted to go off to college once I graduate, and that just opened the flood-gates. Mom said I can't handle being away and that I have to go to community college. She always treats me like I'm stupid and I'm not. I just got so angry that I went up to my room, packed my stuff and came over here."

"You do realize that I don't know the first thing about signing, right?"

"No, see, that's perfect! It'll show my mom that I can function well in a hearing environment."

"Fine! You can camp out here for the night, but you do realize that your mom and Ally are going to be worried sick about you the whole time you're here."

"Good point! Um…say, House, can you loan me $200? I'll pay you back as soon as I can. I swear!"

"What the hell do you need $200 for?"

"You'll see," Stephanie said, with a mischievous grin on her face.


	7. Chapter 7

"So here's the plan," Stephanie told House as he sat down at the table across from her. "I'm going to visit my dad up in Boston and find out once and for all if the reason he left mom and me is because I'm deaf. I need the $200 in order to pay for my bus ticket."

"And how do you know exactly how much a bus ticket from Princeton to Boston costs?"

"I've looked it up online" Stephanie admitted. "I've actually been planning this trip for a while. Today was just the final straw."

"Hmm…and how exactly do you plan on getting from here to the Princeton bus station and from the Boston bus station to where Luc-ass lives?" House inquired.

"Well I was kind of hoping you'd take me to the bus station" Stephanie nervously stated. "As for the other, I'll take a cab. I already know where he lives. And before you ask how I know, I found a letter he sent mom after the divorce and looked up his address. It's a 15 minute car ride from the bus station. Between the 2-way bus ticket and the taxi fare plus tip, it should cost about $200."

"You do realize your mom is going to give me hell if she realizes that I let you do this, right?" House told her. "She's going to file a missing person's report if she hasn't already, because she's going to freak-out that you've suddenly left without any indication as to where you were going."

"If I tell her, she won't let me go. I want you to cover for me, please. Pretend you don't know anything!" Stephanie pleaded. "At least until I get up to Boston."

"So, you expect me to get into trouble for you?"

"I'll take all the blame. I swear. I'll tell her that I stole the money from you and say that you had no idea where I was until I got up there and called you. Then you can call her once you know that I'm already there. That way, it'll look as if you had no idea what-so-ever about this." House nodded.

"I'll give you the money," House told her.

"Oh, thank you! I…"

"On one condition!"

"What?" Stephanie worriedly asked.

"I'm coming with you…

Cuddy nervously paced back and forth in her living room. "Where the hell could she have gone? What if something happens to her? She is in so much trouble when she gets home!" Cuddy ranted as she began to hyperventilate.

"Lisa! You need to relax" Cameron told her. "Pacing back and forth isn't going to help us find her any sooner."

"I'm calling the police!" Cuddy said as she headed towards the phone. Cameron grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks. "Get your hands off of me!" Cuddy told her in a low and threatening tone. Cameron slowly released her grip, and Cuddy brushed right past her. Cameron got up and immediately followed her into the kitchen.

"You are such a hypocrite!" Cameron yelled, causing Cuddy to stop dead in her tracks and turn around.

"Excuse me?" she angrily spat at Cameron.

"You heard me. You tell Stephanie that she can't go out and do anything on her own but as I recall, you left her home alone two nights ago when you went to that conference in New York."

"And I was such an idiot for doing that!" Cuddy retorted. "I didn't even leave her alone for one full night, and she almost got RAPED!" Cuddy shook her head. "Never again. If I ever have to go over-night somewhere, I'm bringing her with me where I can actually keep an eye on her."

"Because you've been doing such a fantastic job of that so far" Cameron muttered under her breath. Cuddy heard her clear as day, however.

"What did you say? Are you questioning my parenting skills?"

"No I…" Cameron started to say, but she was interrupted by the sudden stinging of Cuddy's hand slapping her face.

"Oh, real mature, Lisa."

"Get out!" Cuddy snarled. Cameron gave her a bewildered look. "I said, GET OUT! NOW!" Cameron stood there for a moment longer before turning around and walking out the front door…

Stephanie and House were sitting on the bus together, headed for Boston. "How long are you planning on staying up there for kid?" House asked Stephanie.

"I don't see this trip being more than a day. Who knows, we might be able to take the return trip today and not have to stay over-night anywhere?" House looked over at her.

"You sure you want to do this?"

"Too late now to turn back."

"You want me to come with you?" House asked. Stephanie shook her head.

"No, this is something that I have to do on my own"…

Cameron was on her way home when she decided to stop for some coffee. She was sitting at a table, with her low-fat mocha, when she felt her cellphone vibrate. It was a text from Stephanie.

STEPH: Hey! Just wanted to let you know that I'm OK.

CAMERON: Where the hell are you? Your mom and I are worried sick about you!

STEPH: I'm sorry. Tell mom I'm OK. There's just some things that I need to take care of.

CAMERON: What do you mean?

STEPH: I'm in Boston. I'm visiting my dad to find out why he left mom and me once and for all.

CAMERON: Boston! By yourself? How'd you get up there?

STEPH: Don't tell mom, but I'm not alone. House came with me, and we took the bus up.

Cameron shook her head. Did House even realize that what he just did is considered kidnapping and now that the two of them had crossed state-lines, it made it a federal case? Cameron hoped for his sake that Cuddy wouldn't decide to press charges.


	8. Chapter 8

Cameron pulled up to Cuddy's house about a half hour after receiving the txt from Stephanie. She knew that she had to tell Cuddy that Stephanie was OK but, on the flipside, she didn't want Cuddy doing anything drastic, such as pressing charges against House. Cameron knew she was going to have to be extra-careful with how she handled this situation. She walked up to the door and tentatively knocked on it. A moment later the door opened, revealing a defeated looking Cuddy.

"Hey," Cameron nervously greeted.

"Hi," Cuddy responded. "Do you want to come in?" Cameron nodded, and Cuddy stepped aside, allowing her to enter. Once Cameron was in, Cuddy turned towards her. "Look, I'm terribly sorry for snapping at you before. I'm just worried sick about Stephanie."

"It's OK. I understand" Cameron responded. "That's actually why I'm here. See, I just got a txt from Stephanie and…"

"Where is she? Is she ok?"

"She's fine, Lisa. She's out with House right now." Cuddy released a breath that she hadn't even been aware she was holding and visibly relaxed.

"Oh, thank God! I know he'll take good care of her. Maybe I should call him and tell him to bring her over here."

"Actually," Cameron said a little too quickly, "I think it's best that you give Stephanie some time to cool off. Try letting her stay the night with House and then come back home tomorrow."

"But she doesn't have any clothes or her meds. Is House even aware of her dietary restrictions? What if she has an episode?"

"Lisa, House is a doctor and a damned good one. I think he'll know what to do if she has an episode, let alone her dietary restrictions. Not to mention, he can write her a prescription for any meds that she needs. As for the other, sleeping in her clothes for one night isn't so terrible and I'm sure House has basic toiletries."

"I guess," Cuddy responded. "You really think I'm better off letting her stay with him until she's ready to come home?" Cameron nodded.

"She wants to be independent. Let her start off slowly with someone she knows."

"That makes sense," Cuddy said. "Thanks for coming over and telling me everything."

"Sure thing," Cameron responded, knowing full-well that there was a lot she wasn't revealing…

Stephanie was inside talking to Lucas and House was sitting across the street in his rental car. He knew he was going to get hell for what he was about to do, but he figured that it was for the best. He turned on his phone and called Cuddy.

"Hello?"

"Hey Cuddles. You busy?"

"Not at the moment. Why?" Cuddy nervously asked.

"There's something I need to tell you."

"It's about Stephanie, right?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Cameron came over before and said that Stephanie txted her. She told me everything" Cuddy explained.

"So you're not mad?" House asked, trying to hide his shock, but failing miserably.

"No. I mean I'm not thrilled that you didn't tell me she was out with you, but I understand why you did what you did."

"And here I thought you were going to be angry that Stephanie and I went up to Boston to …"

"Wait. What?" Cuddy interjected. "You're up in Boston with her? Why would you…" she started to say when suddenly it hit her. "She wanted to see Lucas, didn't she?"

"Yeah, why are you so surprised? I thought you knew everything."

"Obviously not this!" Cuddy exclaimed. "Do you think I really would have been this calm knowing that my daughter is up in Boston in order to visit her dead-beat dad?"

"Well, I have to admit that I was surprised at your calmness, but I figured…"

"Well you figured wrong!" Cuddy interjected. "Put Stephanie on."

"Well, you see, I can't exactly do that."

"And why the hell not?"

"Oops. What do you know? I'm under a tunnel that's flooding with water due to an airplane crash. I'm losing my signal" he said before hanging up…

Not even five minutes later Stephanie came walking out of Lucas's place looking distraught. She walked over to the car, opened the door and sank down into the passenger seat. House tapped her shoulder in order to get her attention.

"Hey, what happened in there?" he asked.

"I don't want to talk about it" Stephanie muttered, turning away from him and staring out the window.

"That bad, huh?" House asked before suddenly remembering that Stephanie couldn't hear him. He tapped her on the shoulder. Stephanie looked up at him with weary eyes. "Hey kid, you want to head home?" Stephanie merely nodded as a couple of stray tears fell down her face. She quickly wiped them away with her sleeve and resumed looking out the window. They rode over to the car rental office in complete silence. Once there, they both got out of the car, and Stephanie sat down while House argued with the manager over the fact that he shouldn't be charged for an entire day since he only had the car for a little over an hour. Finally, the manager relented and decided to give him half off the total cost of a one-day rental, which House reluctantly accepted. From there it was a five minute walk to the bus station where House bought them tickets for a bus that left a half-hour later. Both of them sat down. House began playing his Gameboy while Stephanie txted Cameron.

STEPH: Hey. I'm coming home tonight. Bus leaves in 30 min.

CAMERON: Thank God! Your mom will be so relieved when I tell her!

STEPH: You didn't tell her where I was, did you?

CAMERON: All I said was that you were out with House. I never said where.

STEPH: Thank you! Thank you! And a thousand times thank you! You just have to cover for me for a few more hours. I promise!

CAMERON: Have a safe-trip back! Hold on! There's someone at my door. I'll talk with you later, OK?

STEPH: OK, bye!

Stephanie put her phone away and leaned back as she stared up at the ceiling.


	9. Chapter 9

Cameron went to her door to see who was knocking. She opened it and saw a police officer standing outside of her door. "Can I help you?" Cameron asked him.

"Are you Allison Cameron?"

"I am" she responded.

"Ms. Cameron, I am Detective Kenneth Holbrook. May I come in and ask you a few questions?"

"Of course," Cameron said, stepping aside and allowing Detective Holbrook to enter.

"Thank you, 'mam."

"Can I get you anything to eat or drink?" Cameron asked.

"No, thank you" Detective Holbrook said. "Let's sit down and get started shall we." Cameron walked into her living room with Detective Holbrook following. They each took a seat across from one another. Detective Holbrook took out a notebook and pen.

"So, Ms. Cameron, it is my understanding that you were with the defendant Stephanie Cuddy on the night in which she was sexually assaulted. Is that correct?"

"Yes, but Stephanie wasn't actually assaulted. Edward Vogler tried threatening her to have intercourse with him, and she said no. So then she…"

"So Mr. Vogler never laid a hand on Miss Cuddy?" Detective Holbrook clarified.

"As far as I know, no he didn't."

"And do you know what exactly these alleged threats he made were?"

"He said that if she didn't have intercourse with him that she would be responsible for him taking Dr. House's severance pay. He also said that if she told anyone about what happened that he would make sure her mom got fired also" Cameron explained.

"In your opinion, does he have the power to follow through on either of these threats?"

"Yes, I do."

"One last question. What is your relationship with the defendant?"

"I am a family friend and I was also one of her treating doctors."

"So there was a conflict of interest when you took her case then?"

"No, and I don't see what this has to do with what Vogler did."

"I'm trying to establish your credibility as a witness should you be called to testify" Detective Holbrook told her.

"I am telling you nothing but the truth here" Cameron protested. "And there was no conflict of interest because, if you must know, I didn't become a friend of the family until after Stephanie received her diagnosis."

"I see," Detective Holbrook said, scribbling something down on his pad. "Well, that's all the questions I have for now. Thank you for your time."

"It's no problem," Cameron said. Detective Holbrook nodded before getting up and leaving…

It was around midnight when House and Stephanie arrived at Cuddy's home. Stephanie got out of House's car, waved goodbye and walked up the driveway, grabbing her key along the way. Stephanie looked up at the house and saw that there were no lights on. She desperately hoped that her mom was asleep and wasn't too mad about her running away. She took a deep breath, put the key in the lock and slowly opened the door. Once inside, Stephanie quietly crept up the stairs. If she remembered correctly, the second one from the top squeaked. So, she skipped that one. Stephanie tried to quietly navigate herself in the dark and had almost reached her room when the hallway light suddenly turned on. Stephanie gasped and slowly turned around only to find Cuddy standing there.

"_Thank God you're home!_" Cuddy signed. "_Don't you ever do that again. You had me worried sick!"_

"_Sorry,_" Stephanie meekly signed.

"_It's late. You need to go to bed, but tomorrow we are sitting down and talking about this._" Stephanie simply nodded before turning away and walking into her room. Stephanie didn't even bother changing into her PJ's or brushing her teeth. She just slipped under her covers and thought about everything that Lucas had said…

"Can I help you?" Lucas asked when he opened the door.

"You don't recognize me?" Stephanie asked in shock.

"Should I?"

"I would hope so. I'm your daughter, Stephanie." Lucas took a deep breath.

"I was hoping it wasn't you" he admitted. "What are you doing here? Did your mom send you?"

"No, she doesn't even know I'm here."

"Then why are you here?" Lucas pressed.

"Can I come in?" He nodded, stepping aside and letting her walk into the foyer.

"I'm here to find out the truth about why you left us…mom and me." Lucas turned around and started shuffling through some papers. Stephanie thought he said something but wasn't quite sure. "If you're saying something, I can't hear you," Stephanie told him.

"Right," Lucas said turning around. "I left because your mom, and I disagreed on your medical care," he told her.

"What do you mean?"

"She thought that since you had already grown up speaking and hearing that you'd be able to live a relatively normal life with hearing aids and learning sign language. I disagreed and said that you needed to get a Cochlear Implant in order to give you the best chance possible. We argued about it for weeks and finally, one day, she packed up all my stuff while I was at work and kicked me out."

"She said you walked out on us."

"Of course," Lucas said with a roll of his eyes. "She's always making me out to be the bad guy. Look it's up to you whom you want to believe but, believe it or not, your mom doesn't have your best interests at heart. She just wants to take the easy way out."

"She learned how to sign also" Stephanie protested.

"Because it's easier than taking a chance and facing the potential risks of getting a Cochlear Implant. But, so you know, the benefits by far outweigh the risks."

"What exactly is a Cochlear?"

"It's a device that is surgically implanted into your head, and it stimulates your hearing nerve, allowing you to hear at a fairly normal level."

"Why wouldn't mom want me to hear again?"

"Because then she couldn't play the deaf daughter card to get more money from hospital donators and sympathy from the board in order to maintain job-security."

"That doesn't sound like my mom," Stephanie told him.

"Well, maybe you don't know your mom as well as you think you do," he said. "Anyway, I think you should go now. If anyone asks, I'll pretend you were never here."

"Thank you" Stephanie said, before turning around and walking outside.


	10. Chapter 10

"Why don't you want me to get a Cochlear?" Stephanie asked Cuddy the following day.

"_Excuse me_?" Cuddy asked, looking up from the medical record she was reading.

"Don't you want me to hear again?"

"_Of course I do, but_…"

"Then why don't you want me to get a Cochlear?" Stephanie repeated.

"_A Cochlear involves cutting into your brain, Stephanie. They slice your God Damn brain open. The operation can cause permanent brain damage if it doesn't kill you first._"

"But the benefits outweigh the risks by far" Stephanie protested. Cuddy sighed as she leaned forward.

"_Your father told you that didn't he_?" Stephanie nodded.

"He also said that you wanted to keep me deaf so you could play the sympathy card for donors and the hospital board. I don't want to be used as a tool for your political needs!"

"_Sweetie, I can't believe he told you that!" _Cuddy responded._ "Of course I'm not using you as a sympathy card. If there were a less risky way for you to get even some of your hearing back, I would have signed you up a long-time ago._" Stephanie sighed and rolled her eyes. "_Look, if you really want to get the Cochlear, we can look into it, but I'm not guaranteeing anything_." Stephanie got up and ran over to give Cuddy a hug.

"Thanks, mom" she immediately said.

"_I didn't say 'yes'_"

"I know, but thanks!" Stephanie said before getting up and walking out of the living room…

Cuddy was at work, the following day, when she received a phone call. "Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. Dr. Cuddy speaking."

"Yes, hello, Dr. Cuddy. My name is Detective Holbrook. I'm just following up on the charges you've filed against Edward Vogler. I have to be quite honest with you since there is no evidence that Mr. Vogler harassed Stephanie, let alone was in your home, you really don't have a case."

"So that's it?" Cuddy shouted into the phone. "He tries to rape my daughter, and he gets away, just like that?"

"I've already talked to another individual involved in this who said that he never attempted to rape your daughter. She claimed that Mr. Vogler tried to proposition her, but…"

"Wait! She?"

"Yes, we spoke to…hold on…an Allison Cameron yesterday morning and based on what she said, Mr. Vogler did nothing wrong. Stephanie willingly let him in; there's no evidence he even laid a hand on her, and he did leave without a fight."

"He threatened my daughter!" Cuddy shouted.

"Were you there when he supposedly said that?"

"No, but…"

"Then I'm afraid you don't have a case" Detective Holbrook told Cuddy before hanging up. Cuddy slammed her phone back on the receiver. God help Cameron the next time she saw her because Cuddy swore that she would not be responsible for her actions…

House came barging into Cuddy's office and sat down on her couch. "You're not supposed to be here" Cuddy reminded him. "If Vogler catches you…"

"I'm not here as a Doctor" House quickly said. "I'm merely here as a 'patient'."

"You know that won't get you extra Vicodin, right?"

"Oh snap! Anyway, how's Stephanie doing?" Cuddy's upper lip curled and her eyes narrowed.

"Why the hell did you bring her up to Boston? And without even consulting me? I was worried sick. Between you and Cameron, I don't know whom to trust anymore!"

"What did Cameron do?"

"Well other than cover up for you by telling a huge lie of omission, she basically ruined any chance of Stephanie ever getting any justice!" House leaned forward on his cane.

"What do you mean?" House began to seethe inside while Cuddy talked about the phone call she just received. Because of Cameron's need to be blatantly honest about every little thing, Vogler was going to get away with murder. "Not if I can help it!" House blurted out.

"What?" Cuddy said, confused by his sudden outburst. House didn't answer. He just got up and walked right out of her office. "Oh God, what is he up to now?" Cuddy muttered, placing her hand to her head and massaging her aching temples…

House barged right into the conference room in the middle of a differential which Forman was leading. "House, what are you doing here?" he asked. "If Vogler catches you…"

"Will everybody stop worrying already?" House shouted to his three stunned fellows. "I'm here on a personal matter. Not to work!"

"When have you ever been here to work?" Chase muttered under his breath. However, House heard him clear as day.

"What was that, Wombat?"

"Nothing," Chase quickly said, quickly looking down and pretending to be intently studying the medical record in front of him.

"Anyway, Cameron get out here!"

"But we're in the middle of a differential, and since you don't work here anymore, you can't…"

"Just get the hell out here!" Cameron nervously looked up at Forman who nodded in acknowledgement.

"You have 5 minutes House!"

"That's more than enough time," House said as he walked out, with Cameron close behind.

"What the HELL were you thinking?" House shouted once they were outside.

"Excuse me?"

"Because of your little talk with the Detective yesterday, Cuddy can't press charges against Vogler."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, I think you do, _Allison_! Does 'well there's no evidence that Vogler was at Cuddy's let alone tried to rape Stephanie' ring a silly little bell?"

"Detective Holbrook is a man of the law and I'm obligated to tell him the truth" Cameron explained. "The only proof I have is what Stephanie told me. He didn't rape her, so there's no physical evidence. Also, nothing in the home looked out of place."

"So are you calling Stephanie a liar?"

"No, but I can't lie and say that I saw Vogler leave or that there was a broken window or…"

"Well you better fix this?" House snapped.

"So you want me to lie?"

"Yes, Cameron. I know the mere thought of lying is enough to send you into a nervous breakdown but…"

"I'm not doing it," she muttered.

"Well then you've lost a very good friend."

"But Cuddy and I never were that close."

"I meant Stephanie," House said before turning around and walking away.


End file.
